This post is a compilation of some previous posts on the humble man, and some sermon notes from when I preached through Philippians 2:3-10.
In chapter two of Philippians we are told that we are to possess a humility of
mind, and then we are given the example of the humility possessed by our Savior, Master, and Leader. The Greek word for humility of mind is tapeinophrosune. This word means to be lowly or humble. It is a lowliness of mind, a state of mind that esteems itself small. It is a state of mind that has a correct estimation of itself before God, it is a state of mind that regards itself as insignificant before God and before others. It is modest. The way it is used in its context here means we are to responsible for our possession of this state of mind.
Another way for us to paint a
picture humility is to understand that it is the polar opposite of pride and
arrogance, it is the polar opposite of boasting, it is the polar opposite of
selfishness and empty conceit.
In us getting our mind right, we must understand that pride doesn’t just exalt itself against others, but always and ultimately exalts itself against God as all sin is always against God. In the Scriptures, you never see the term humble used to describe the wicked, but you will always see pride associated with wickedness. Let's look at a couple of verses that reveal to us what God thinks about the pride of man.
Isaiah 2:12, 17 For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning
against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up,
that he may be abased. The pride of man
will be humbled and the loftiness of man will be abased; and the Lord alone
will be exalted in that day.
Isaiah 13:11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the
wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud
and abase the haughtiness of the wicked….
In Proverbs 6:16 there are seven things listed that God hates, that are an abomination to Him, and the first on the list is haughty eyes.
What we see from the Scriptures
is that God hates pride, but values humility.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O Man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, seek
righteousness seek humility.
So let us consider together why the Lord values
the humble man so much, and why humility is esteemed in the eyes of God.
The humble man knows
his place before God and before men.
Do
nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with
humility of mind regard one another
as more
important than yourselves. Do not
merely look out
for your own personal interests,
but also for
the interests of others.
Philippians
2:3-4
Sitting down,
He called the twelve and said to them,
"If anyone
wants to be first, he shall be last of all
and servant of
all."
Mark 9:35
The Job
answered the Lord, and said,
"I know
that You can do all things,
And that no
purpose of Your can be thwarted.
Who is this
that hides counsel without knowledge?
Therefore I
have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too
wonderful for me, which I did not know.
Hear, now, and
I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.
I have heard of
You by the hearing of the ear; But now my
eyes see You;
Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes."
Job 42:1-6
But now God has
placed the members, each one of them,
in the body,
just as He desired.
I Corinthians
12:18
O Lord, my
heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I
involve myself in great matters,
Or in things
too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed
and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned
child rests against His mother,
My soul is like
a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:1-2
He also told this parable to some who trusted in
themselves
that they were righteous and looked down on everyone
else:
"Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one
a Pharisee
and the other a tax collector. the Pharisee
took his stand and
was praying like this: 'God, I thank You that I'm
not like other
people--greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like
this tax
collector. I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of
everything I get.'
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even
raise
his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest saying,
'God, turn
Your wrath from me--a sinner!' I tell you, this one
went down
to his house justified rather than the other; because
everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who
humbles
himself will be exalted.
Luke 18:9-14
The humble man is a reverent man.
"For My
hand made all these things,
Thus, all these
things came into being,"
declares, the
Lord.
But to this one
I will look, to him who
is humble and
contrite of spirit,
and who
trembles at My word.
Isaiah 66:2
Tremble,
and do not sin;
Meditate in
your heart upon
your bed and be
still.
Psalm 4:4
But as for me,
by Your abundant lovingkindness
I will enter
Your house, at Your holy temple
I will bow in
reverence for You.
Psalm 5:7
and My people who are
Called by My name
humble themselves and
pray and seek My
face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven,
will forgive their
sin and will heal their land.
II Chronicles
7:14
The humble man is a teachable man.
Open my eyes,
that I may behold
Wonderful
things from Your law.
Teach me, O
Lord, the way of your statutes,
And I shall
observe it to the end.
Give me
understanding, that I may observe
Your law and
keep it with all my heart.
Make me walk in
the path of Your
Commandments
for I delight in it.
Establish Your
word to Your servant
As that which
produces reverence for You.
You have dealt
well with Your servant,
O Lord,
according to Your word.
Psalm 119:18,
33-35, 38, 65
The humble man is a contrite man.
"For My
hand made all these things,
Thus all these
things came into being,"
declares the
Lord.
But to this one
I will look,
To him who is
humble and contrite
of spirit, and
who trembles at My word.
Isaiah 66:2
Be miserable
and mourn and weep; let your laughter
Be turned into
mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble
yourselves in the presence of the Lord,
And He will
exalt you.
James 4:9-10
For the sorrow
that is according to the will of God
produces a
repentance without regret, leading to
salvation, but
the sorrow of the world produces death.
For behold what
earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow,
has produced in
you: what vindication of yourselves, what
indignation,
what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging
of wrong!
In everything you demonstrated yourselves
innocent in the
matter.
II Corinthians
7:10-11
The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and
contrite heart, O God,
You will not
despise.
Psalm 51:17
The humble man is a worshipping man.
But as for me,
by Your abundant lovingkindness
I will enter
Your house, at Your holy temple
I will bow in
reverence for You.
Psalm 5:7
For a day in
Your courts is better
than a thousand
outside.
Psalm 84:10a
"If anyone
wishes to come after Me,
he must deny
himself, take up his cross
daily, and
follow Me."
Luke 9:23
The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit.
Psalm 51:17a
Come,
let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel
before the Lord our Maker.
Psalm 95:6
Exalt the Lord
our God and worship at
His footstool;
holy is He.
Psalm 99:5
The humble man is an obedient man.
Have this
attitude in yourselves which was also
in Christ
Jesus...Being found in appearance as man,
He humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point
of death, even
death on a cross.
Philippians
2:5, 8
Submit
therefore to God.
James 4:7a
…He became to
all who obey Him,
The source of
eternal salvation.
Hebrews 7:9
Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand
of God, that He
may exalt you at the proper time.
I Peter 5:6
Samuel said,
"Has the Lord as much delight in burnt
offerings and
sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey
is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."
I Samuel 15:22
"Why do
you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
Luke 6:46
The humble man is a wise man.
"For My
hand made all these things, thus all these
things came
into being," declares the Lord.
"But to
this one I will look, to him who is humble
and contrite of
spirit, and who trembles at My word."
Isaiah 66:2
The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise
wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
When pride
comes, then comes dishonor,
but with the
humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2
Therefore be
careful how you walk, not as unwise men
but as wise,
making the most of your time, because the
days are
evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand
what the will
of the Lord is.
Ephesians
5:15-17
Who among you
is wise and understanding? Let him
show by his
good behavior his deeds in the gentleness
of wisdom...But
the wisdom from above is first pure,
then peaceable,
gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and
good fruits,
unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the
seed whose
fruit is righteousness is sown in peace
by those who
make peace.
James 3:13,
17-18
The humble man is an empowered man.
For My hand
made all these things,
Thus all these
things came into being, declares the Lord.
But to this one
I will look, to him who is humble and
Contrite in
spirit, and who trembles at My word.
Isaiah 66:2
For thus says
the high and exalted One
Who lives
forever, whose name is Holy,
"I dwell
on a high and holy place,
And also with
the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to
revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive
the heart of the contrite.
Isaiah 57:15
But He gives a
greater grace. Therefore it says,
"God is
opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
James 4:6
And He has said
to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is
perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore,
I will rather
boast about my weaknesses, so the the power
of Christ may
dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with
weaknesses,
with insults, with distresses, with persecutions,
with
difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."
II Corinthians
12:9-10
...whoever
serves is to do so as one who is serving
by the strength
which God supplies...
I Peter 4:11b
...God is opposed to the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.
For though the Lord is exalted,
yet He regards the lowly, but
the haughty He knows from afar.
James 4:6, Psalm 138:6
The humble man is a blessed man.
The reward of
humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor
and life.
Proverbs 22:4
But the one who
looks intently at the perfect law,
the law of liberty, and abides by it, not
having
become a forgetful
hearer, but an effectual doer,
this man will be
blessed in what he does.
James 1:25
Blessed are the
humble, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5
But the humble
will inherit the land
And will
delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Psalm 37:11
The humble man
will be an exalted man
Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand
of God, that He
may exalt you at the proper time.
I Peter 5:6
Humble
yourselves in the presence of the Lord,
And He will
exalt you.
James 4:10
For everyone who
exalts himself will be humbled,
And he who humbles
himself will be exalted.
Luke 14:11
Here are
ten things the Bible teaches us about pride and humility:
1.
Pride ultimately exalts itself over God, and humility ultimately makes itself
low before God.
2.
Pride pushes God away, while humility draws near to God.
3.
Pride depends on itself, while humility depends on God.
4.
Pride boasts in itself, while humility boasts in God.
5.
Pride credits itself, while humility credits God.
6.
Pride follows its own path, while humility follows God's path.
7.
Pride is self-seeking, while humility is God-seeking.
8.
Pride always leads to disobedience, while humility always leads to obedience.
9.
Pride is the opposite of godliness, while humility promotes godliness.
10. The
proud will be destroyed from the earth, while the humble will inherit the
earth.
So, my friends, let us follow the admonition of the following verses:
Have this attitude
in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:5
Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me, for I gentle and
humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29
